NASA hosts Social Media Event at MAVEN Launch

NASA will give 150 of its social media followers an insider’s look at America’s space program and the opportunity to see a launch in person. The NASA Social, scheduled for Nov. 16 and 18 to coincide with the launch of NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN), will be held at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA Socials are in-person meetings with people who engage with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks.

MAVEN is targeted to launch at 1:27 p.m. EST Nov. 18 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

Registration for the NASA Social opens at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 and closes at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. Participants will be selected from online registrations.

International guests selected to attend the social will be required to submit a scanned copy of their visa and passport. Green card holders will be required to submit a scanned copy of their card.

NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:

View the launch of the Atlas V rocket carrying MAVEN.

Hear first-hand accounts of the mission development and research goals from the MAVEN science and engineering teams from NASA Kennedy, Goddard and other organizations.

Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (Note: * All sites on KSC / CCAFS are subject to closure due to mission or operation requirements), including potential opportunities to:

Look Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building.

View the Atlas V launch pad.

Visit the Launch Control Center.

Meet and interact with representatives from NASA and other organizations.

* Meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media.

Meet members of NASA’s social media team.

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission is part of NASA’s Mars Scout program, funded by NASA Headquarters. The mission will explore the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind. Scientists will use MAVEN data to determine the role that loss of volatile compounds — such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and water — from the Mars atmosphere to space has played through time, giving insight into the history of Mars’ atmosphere and climate, liquid water, and planetary habitability.